Forbidden Unknown
by xprettyinpunk18x
Summary: When the gaang decides to attend Prince Zuko's "coming home" masquarade party in hopes of sneak attacking the fire lord, things go horribly wrong. Katara gets captured... and GETS BETROTHED TO ZUKO! Pairings: Zutara, small taang, maybe sukka.
1. Costumes

Chapter one: Costumes

Hi everyone! This is my first fanfiction EVER, so please be nice (But I am a tough girl, I can take the flames! BRING IT ON!!!!!!). Anyway! Welcome to my Story: Forbidden Unknown! Its a story about passion, truth, beauty, but above all things...Love.(Moulin Rouge anyone? lol)

The setting is that it takes place RIGHT after the crossroads of Destiny. They have escaped on Appa and are now in the woods by a fire nation town/village thingamabob. :D

I DO NOT OWN AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER OR ANY THING ELSE FOR THAT MATTER! What I have written here is what I would have thought would make a cool story :p

ENJOY!

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She didn't want to get up this morning, but of coarse, had to, being the responsible one in the group. There was still a lot to be done ... So, with a heavy sigh, Katara shoved herself up from her snowmonkey sleeping bag.

"Get up, Aang, Sokka, Toph." She moaned, and started preparing what was going to be a light breakfast. After everyone finally got up, Sokka being the last one, they all sat around the small fire that cooked their breakfast.

"Good morning everybody!!" Aang cheered with his happy smile plastered across his face.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you that you're just to happy?" Toph yawned in response.

"Why shouldnt I be happy? I'm sitting with my friends, i've finally healed, and it's a nice day out."

"Oh, I don't know, maybe facing the fire lord, and the arrival of the comet have something to do with it... I'd say you've got a lot to be upset about." Aang frowned at her comment.

"You know Aang, she's right. You still need to finish mastering Earth Bending and find a Fire Bending 's still a lot that needs to be done in the next couple months." Katara said.

"I know... It's just that, I was kind of thinking that I had a Fire Bending teacher in mind...But..."

"Who?" Toph and Katara asked.

"Well, it wouldn't matter anymore, so anyway, never mind." Aang put on another way to happy smile. This was the one that sort of said 'I dont want to talk about it' or 'I'm lying'.

"Just spit it out already Twinkle Toes."

"Okay, okay. I was thinking, _before _the cave's, that somehow... Zuko could be my fire bending teacher...."

"WHAT!?!"

"Oh, good morning, Snoozles." Toph grinned.

"You we're thinking about letting HIM join our group?! Are you CRAZY?!"

"Chill out Sokka! I know! It was a bad idea... It was a passing thought.."

"A bad one at that..." Katara mumbled. Ever since she was stuck in the caves with zuko, who ended up betraying her, she couldn't even hear his name without cringing. Aang looked at Katara and sighed. At first, when Iroh and him we're making their way to find her and Zuko, he was worried. He thought that either she'd be hurt by him, or worse, they would become friends! But, to his luck, Zuko had been the idiot that Aang sort of expected him to be, and betrayed Katara, permanently scaring her image of him. This made him smirk.

"...What..?" Katara asked when she noticed Aang was looking at her and smirking... again. It was sort of creepy....

"Oh, nothing, sorry." He blushed, rubbing the back of his now hair covered head.

"Come on, Twinkle Toes. We've got some training to do!" Toph grinned as she stretched her arms towards him and cracked all her knuckles.

Aang sighed, and got up following Toph to a small clearing. "I'll let you know when breakfast is ready." Katara yelled after them.

She looked down at the soupy stew she had cooking over the fire and took in a deep breath. How was she ever going to tell Aang she didn't like him the way he liked her? She didn't want to break his heart, but all the dreamy looks we're getting annoying. Sure, she wanted love... but not with someone younger or especially _shorter_then her! She just didn't feel the same... Looking into her reflection, she sighed. Why couldn't she just find prince charming already?

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"It's so good to have you back, Prince Zuko."

"It's an honor to be back, Father." Zuko bowed deeply to the Fire Lord. When his Father waved his hand, Zuko straightened up, then kneeled to the floor and bowed his head to listed to what it is his father had called him into the war chamber for.

"There is an... unfortunate issue we must deal with. I was not expecting you to ever complete your mission of killing the avatar and returning home, so I waved the issue. But now that you have returned, it has become utterly un-avoidable." Zuko felt a small stab at his chest when his father said he had never expected him to come home.

'_Does he not want me here? Azula said he'd be more then pleased with me...'_ He thought. "What can I do to help you, Father?"

"As you know, you are, as oldest and my only male son, heir to the throne. But, you are also turning 18 in three months. In order for you to acquire the throne, you must be married by the age of 18."

Married?! Marriage had never crossed Zuko's mind before! ... But it was for the throne, and it would appear to help put him in his fathers good graces... But who? He sort of had a thing going on with Mai, but she was so gloomy. Maybe there was someone else? Somebody he'd actually fall in love with? Was there even TIME to find a woman to make him happy and glad to spend the rest of his life with? Sighing, he knew the answer was 'no'...

"I'll have a messenger send a letter to Mai that we are to be wed as soon as possible." Zuko started to stand.

"No. Sit back down and wait until I have finished." Zuko sat. "The law states that you must marry a Princess. Mai is not a Princess." There was a small, but sadistic smile on Ozai's face. "Unfortunately, there are no other Fire Princess', the Earth King never got around to having children, the air benders are _finally _completely wiped out, and the Northern Water Princess is dead."

As Ozai finished his statement, Zuko finally knew what this was all about. His Father never intended for him to have the throne. In fact, his father probably passed this law so that his precious little 'prodigy' could have the throne all to herself. "What am I to do then, father?" He asked while grinding his teeth.

"There is nothing I can think of at the moment. As for now, I will tell you to go and relax and get ready for your coming home party in two days. Surly we will think of some way to abide by this law. You may go."

When Zuko got up and started to walk away, he didnt get far enough, and heard the tiny laugh that escaped his fathers smile of triumph.

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"I'm so hungry! Where is the food?!" Toph grabbed her aching stomach. Aang wasn't as good as her at Earth Bending yet, but he was still better then most of the people she'd ever sparred with, so their training sessions were becoming more tiresome.

"Look I'm sorry breakfast was light, but we have almost no supplies. Besides, Sokka should be back any moment with food from that town we saw before we landed." Katara reassured her.

No sooner had Katara spoken when Sokka came running up the pathway to their camp. "Guys! Guys, look at this!" He yelled.

"OH WOW!!!! That's so cool!" Toph exclaimed.

"I know! I just saw it lying on the gro-... You know... I really shouldn't fall for that anymore." Everybody laughed.

"So what is it?" Aang asked as he walked next to Katara and stood a little to close to her for her comfort. She slowly moved away.

"It's a flyer for the "Welcome home Prince Zuko!!!" party that's going on at the palace the day after tomorrow!"

"...so?" Katara stated.

"So, it says that everyone will be there! Including Fire Lord Ozai!" One by one, their faces lit up as they were starting to grasp what Sokka was saying. "I say we disguiseourselves, party it up a little, enjoy all the free food, and Aang can slowly make his was up to the Fire Lord and BAM! Get him while he thinks you're dead! It's perfect!"

"We're going to need formal attire... we dont even have enough money for food... how are we going to buy fancy Fire Nation clothes?" Aang asked, trying to avoid the subject of him making anything go BAM!, anytime soon.

"Don't you worry about that, Twinkle Toes. I've got it covered." Toph lightly laughed.

"Alrighty! Let's get this train on the tracks! Toph, go do you're thing, Katara, go with her so you can pick out outfits for us all, and Aang and I will.... well, we'll do manly things."

"Riiiiiiight. And I can tell you the colors in the rainbow. Let's go Katara."

"Oh! One more thing!"

"Today Snoozles! While I'm still young!"

"Sorry. Anyway, I don't know exactly what it means, just that the flyer said that they're introducing a new type of party called a 'masqurade' where everyone at the party wears masks to hide their face! It's almost like they're trying to make this to easy for us!" Sokka raved.

"Maskes, got it. Bye guys." Katara waved goodbye.

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"I can NOT believe you stole from all those people!!!" Katara waved her hands above her head.

"It's not stealing, it's gambling." The blind girl countered smugly.

"IT'S CHEATING!"

"Oh what_ever_! We've got enough money for our costume disguise thingies now, so chill, sugar queen." Katara took a deep breath. Toph was right. They did need authentic costumes, and they weren't cheap.

"Alright fine. But promise me you'll never do it again, okay?"

Toph kept walking.

"Toph! I said promise me you'll never do it agai-"

"Oh look!" Katara was interrupted, "A costume shop!"

Katara looked up, expecting there to be a food stand or anything _but_a costume shop seeing as how they hadn't even made it into town yet, and the fact that Toph was blind... But to her amazement, there it was - 'Hama's Costume Shop'. Katara stopped and stared first at the shop, then at Toph's eyes, then back at the shop.

'_How did she..?...Nevermind' _Katara thought. Toph smiled even wider and started walking in the general direction of the shop. When they walked in, Katara stopped and stared in awe. There we're _so many_ costumes! How was she ever going to choose?

"What is it?" Toph asked. It took a minute for Katara to pull her brain away from la la land and turn to look at Toph.

"Nothing really, just that I cant even count how many costumes there are crammed in this tiny store! I'm never going to be able to pick one out... I know! I'll start by color! Okay, do they have anything blue?" She ranted.

"Why are you asking me? I don't even know what blue looks like. But I do know that it's associated with the Water Tribes, and seeing as how we landed in a Fire Nation area, I'm sure they don't have anything in blue." As she said it, Katara kept looking around, and sadly, Toph was right. Not a blue thread in sight. Looks like shed have to deal with a boring green or yellow. Red was definitely out of the question.

"You're sighing to much, what's wrong? There isn't any blue is there?"

"Not even a thread. Oh well... I guess I could just wear green, or something."

"Why don't we look in the back? Stores always keep the good stuff in the back. Let's go." Toph started walking forward, toward the direction of the door with the big "Workers only" sign on it.

"Toph," Katara said, grabbing her upper arm, "It says 'workers only'. We're not allowed back there."

"Okay, but i bet there's a LOT of pretty blue costumes behind that door with 'sugar queen' written all over them." She didn't actually think that, she was just curious as to what was behind the door. She couldn't feel any vibrations besides Katara's.

"You know we really shouldn't..." Katara sighed, stareing helplessly at the door.

"Ya know what? You're right. I bet Aang would love to see you in something yellow anyway... You wouldn't want to upset him..." Toph turned around and headed in the opposite direction of the 'workers only' door, smirking. If this didn't hook Katara, then nothing would.

'_Three... Two.... One...'_Toph counted.

"I guess a little peak won't hurt anybody, right?" If there was one thing she didn't want more then being arrested for trespassing in a shop on Fire Nation land and being caught and probably killed for traveling with the Avatar, it was giving Aang another reason to stare at her.

'_Just like Clockwork.'_Toph grinned.

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Sokka and Aang sat at the campfire, staring off into space.

"Hey Sokka?" Aang asked.

"What?"

"Does... does Katara ever talk about me when I'm not around?" Oh no. Not this talk. If it was clear to Sokka, then it was clear to the world that Aang liked Katara. But, Sokka also knew that Katara didn't like Aang and that she didn't tell him that yet because he wouldn't continue his training and defeat the Fire Lord, so he went with the best that he could think of.

"Yupp. Why?"

"Really?!? Wow! What does she say about me?" The smile on his face was tragic. He was so happy, only to later be so sad.

"I don't know. Girl stuff. I'm going to go find some meat, want to come?" He knew full well Aang was a vegetarian and wouldn't go and watch while he hunted and attacked a 'poor defensless' animal.

"Umm, no. I'm good."

"Alright, I'll see you in a bit then." Sokka waved back at Aang.

"Oh! Hey, Sokka?"

"Ohmygod...!" He muttered under his breath before turning around and yelling back, "Yeah?"

"Toph and Katara have been gone for a while, should I go look for them?"

"No. Just stay there. They're big girls and can take care of themselves. Now sit. Good Avatar. You stay there until I get back, alright?" Aang nodded in response. "Good."

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"Only a peak though! That's it. We're not going to even step into the room, just open the door."

"Excellent. But you'll have to describe what's back there, if we're not walking in."

"Got it." And with that Katara took hold of the door knob and opened the door. "Oh my god!" Was all Toph herd before she could see because of the vibrations Katara's feet we're making as she stomped through the small back room. But, there it was. A supposed beautiful gown on a pedistool in the middle of the room.

"Is it blue?" She asked.

"Like the ocean back home..." Katara stared in awe at the most beautiful piece of clothing she had ever seen in her life. It was a full length, strapless ball gown. The bottom was dark cerulean blue, that faded to white as it went up towards the intricate design that decorated the bodice. The design and the elbow length pair of gloves that were next to the costume we're the same shade as the bottom of the gown.

"No kidding?!? I am SO good!" Toph did a little victory dance.

"So you like it?" Said an aged, raspy voice from the door. Katara and Toph both turned to look at who the voice belonged to. What they saw was an old woman, a little hunched over, and smiling an eerie smile. Her face was covered in wrinkles and her gray hair was long.

After the three seconds it took her to analyze the old woman, Katara started reaching down to her snowlepord skin pouch for water, but her hand stopped about halfway across her torso. She tried really hard, but couldn't move her arm!

"Katara, I can't move! What's going on?!" Toph screamed. She had never felt so helpless before! She had been blind all her life, and was used to that, but why couldn't she move?!

"I - I don't know! I can't move either! What are you doing to us?!"She spat at the old woman.

"You've seen to much. I'm sorry but I must keep my identity a secret."

"What are you talking about?! I know nothing about you! The only thing I've seen is this dress!" Katara, trying really hard craned her head back to the dress, and, in doing so, her necklace could be seen. All of a sudden she could move.

"You - You're from the Water Tribe?" The old woman asked. Katara didn't hesitate, she undid her pouch and shot all her water out at the woman.

The woman raised her arms and the water stopped before it reached her. It just sort of floated in mid air.

"You! You're a Water Bender!!!" Katara smiled, straightening out of her fighting stance.

"And I'm blind! Why can't I move yet?!" Toph yelled, trying hard to to blink.

"Oh, I'm sorry, young girl." The woman said, waiving her hand toward Toph, who fell to the ground. "I shouldn't have reacted so harshly! But I thought you were Fire Nation, and had discovered that I was a Water Bender."

"All because of a blue costume?" Katara questioned. How would that accuse her of being a Water Bender?

"No, child, take a look around you." And for the first time, she looked around the dress and into the room.

"Oh my god!" She clasped her hand around her mouth.

"What is it?" Toph mumbled, getting up off of the ground. She didn't like this woman. Not only could she not sense her presence, but she was ready to kill anyone who wasn't Water Tribe...Okay, so Katara and Sokka were safe...Possibly Aang cause he could Water Bend... But where did that leave her?

"Water Bending scrolls and Water Tribe items! Oh! These must be so old! We don't even use kayaks anymore!" She smiled. "I can see now why you would paralyze us... " Her sentence trailed off and her gaze had a questioning look to it.

"We have a lot to talk about." Was all the woman responded.

"I am so lost..." Toph sighed.

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Sokka walked back to the camp empty handed, for the second time that day. He knew he'd probably catch hell for it, but come on! Does anybody appreciate how hard it is to hunt? Jeez. Over worked and under appreciated.

"Oh good you're back! I was starting to cramp up sitting there like that for so long!" Aang laughed.

'_Did he seriously sit there the whole time? Part of me wouldn't put it passed him... unfortunately.'_ He thought to himself.

"You need a hobby." Was all he said to Aang before he picked up his shiny black sword. "And I think that it should be mastering the sword, like I did."

"Only because the Earth King sent you there before he left..." Aang muttered.

"How did you..? You were out like an old campfire and healing the entire time I was gone."

**"Toph is an excellent source."**Sokka sighed. Was he ever going to catch a break?

"Just go find two long sticks since you don't have a cool sword made out of -"

"The Space Rock we put out?"

"Wha..?! How'd you know..? Never mind. I don't even want to know. Now find the sticks!!!" Sokka yelled.

"Yessir!" Aang saluted him, and ran off to find two sticks to practice with.

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"So you can control the blood in another persons body only on the full moon night, but if you're strong enough you can do it whenever? I don't know if I want that kind of power..." Katara tailed off.

"It's alright if you don't want to accept it, but it is a handy trick to learn if you're in a pinch and can't escape." Said the old woman, who they had learned was Hama, the owner of 'Hama's costume shop', Go figure? "Besides all that dark and dingy talk, I noticed you we're quite interested in that dress I have in the back?"

"Oh, the one that fades?! Yes! It's lovely! It's the exact color of the oceans back home!" Katara Exclaimed.

"That was the goal," Hama smiled another eerie smile. "I spent months trying to get that color right."

Toph sat there, not saying a word. She was taking in as much about this old woman as she could. There was something wrong about her.... Something that screamed "WARNING! TURN AROUND NOW!" in her gut ever since she appeared out of thin air behind them...

'_I couldn't even get one vibration from her... it's like she's walking on clouds or something...'_

"It's absolutely perfect! But I don't suppose it's for sale, is it?" Katara sighed. It was too good to be true.

"Unfortunately, no, it is not for sale." Hama answered. "Why are you looking for formal costumes anyway?"

"Oh, well, we're traveling with the Ava-"

"KATARA!" Toph stood, yelling at her friend, who stared in shock back at her. "Can we talk outside for a minute?"

"No, because I already know what you're going to say, and yes, it is okay to tell Hama. She's just as much against the Fire Nation as we are, if not more. It's alright Toph." She stood as well, and tried to reassure her. Toph slowly sat back down. Something was wrong here... Very wrong.

"As you were saying?" Hama ushered Katara, staring coldly at Toph when Katara slightly turned to pull her chair in, but put on a fake cheery smile when Katara looked back towards them.

"I was saying that we're traveling with the Avatar, and we are planning an attack on the Fire Lord."

"Oh my! When are you planning to do that, and how does my dress come into all of this?"

"Haven't you guessed already? The 'welcome home Prince Zuko' Party. We need disguises and proper attire for the party." Toph answered in a bored, but harsh tone. Katara frowned at her for being so rude.

"You would use my dress as part of a disguise to get in to attack the Fire Lord?"

"I know, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't come here and try to use your work as part of our plot to overthrow the Fire Lord." Katara apologized sheepishly. Clearly she was embarrassed.

"No no no! In that case, take whatever you like! Please, help yoursel-" she looked at Toph with a frown, "-ves to whatever you need. On the house." The old woman looked away from Toph and smiled at Katara.

"Really?! Wow! Thank you so much! I'll absolutely treasure that dress for the rest of my life! Thank you!!" Katara got up and threw her arms around Hama. Toph didn't like this one bit. And the fact that all of her hard work at getting the money to pay for what was now free was a wasted effort didn't help her mood any, either.

In the end, Katarahad gotten the dress from the back, the gloves, and a matching mask that had two light blue feathers sticking out of the right side of it. The eye holes were lined in Rhine stones.

Toph had gotten a simple full length green dress with a small sleave. Her mask was just like katara's, except for the nose piece on the mask went over the bridge of her nose, while Katara's was cut out. Sokka and Aang got the typical male Fire Nation suit - black pants, a red over shirt, and plain black masks.

"Good luck! I'm glad that I could be of service! I'll miss you, Katara, Toffee!" Toph cringed.

"Yeah, i'll miss you too, you old witch..." She muttered.

"What was that Toph? I didn't catch it." Katara asked as they turned and continued walking back to camp.

"Nothing." She said bluntly. "Let's just hurry up and get home before that body controlling witch can get us. Besides, the boys will be wondering where we are."

"Be nice! She was nothing but overly kind to us! What we have here would have cost triple what you got us today!"

"Well sor-rry!! Let's just get back, okay?" Toph almost whined. She was sick of being under minded for doing nothing, so she picked up the pace, clutched her share of the clothes tighter, and they walked in silence the rest of the way.

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They got back to camp after dark. Sokka and Aang normally would have been worried, but they were so focused on training that they barely noticed when the girls got back.

"Umm, Hello?" Toph spoke. "Earth to boys? We're back."

Sokka looked over for a split second and got hit in thte stomach with Aangs stick. "Ow! Crap!"

The stick fight broke up and the boys came over to the fire to talk about what had happened and try on their costumes. It didn't go unnoticed to Toph that Katara didn't mention being paralyzed and controlled and the whole blood bending thing. In fact, when Katara first started the story and got to the part where Hama appeared she looked at Toph, almost saying 'Please?' in her eyes, and said that they turned to see a defenseless little old lady, who recognized Katara's necklace.

When the story was over, the boys had changed out of their formal wear, said their good nights, and went to sleep. Toph followed shortly after. They all needed their rest if they were going to fight for their lives the day after tomorrow.

Katara stood up, brushed off her skirt, and slid into her sleeping bag.

'_Can I do this? Am I really prepared to give up my life, or worse, to save the world?'_

With that strange final thought, Katara rolled over and watched the forbidden dances in the flames, until she fell asleep.

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Zuko laid in bed, staring at his ceiling. He had betrayed his Uncle, lied to his Father about killing the Avatar, was told he was forced to marry to keep his throne, and then discovered it was all an impossible plan to keep him off the throne.

'_There __**has**__ to be a way... I'll do anything to get my birthright back!'_

And with that final declaration, Zuko fell asleep, and dreamed of the beautiful blue ocean....

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END CHAPTER ONE

So?! What did you think!?!? Please review! It'll help me write more if I get feedback!!!!! :D (Positive or negative CRITICISM is appreciated, no hating on me though, this IS my first story ever lol) So I sort of made Hama a good-ish character in this chapter. Don't worry though! You'll see mwahahahahaaaa! And I kinda sorta a lot changed the story line so that they could have all their special abilities that they learned in the third season, without it actually being past the third season :D cause I'm special like that ha-ha. I will have artwork up of Katara's dress. If you want to make pictures too, that would be SO FREAKING COOL!

So important stuff -- Zuko and Katara WILL meet for the first time in this fic next chapter (so that obviously means that the ball/party/thing will be next chapter too lol). Also, I cant guarantee that all my chapters will be this long or short. It all depends on my spare time or if I even get a review.

IF I GET ONE REVIEW, I'LL POST CHAPTER TWO!

Thanks!

**Stolen from zutara4lyfe 's fic "Whatever It Takes" except that Toph say's it about Iroh :D

/rant


	2. Masquerade

So! I made it to Chapter Two after all!!! YAY! Thank you to:

Turion,

Umi no Kaiso,

AriTeir,

Lonelywithoutyou,

advidartist,

Shichinintai'sGoddess,

VampireAle-Pokerchica15,

lunamirrior,

Zutarababe,

fotinaki,

-and-

Allyon Everstone

for reviewing!

And sorry it took so long to update! I've been in Florida for Spring Break and I didn't have a chance to post this before I left :( I swear it wont take that long for ch. 3... It's already in the works lol Anywho:

A day of planning and a party with a twist awaits our friends. I'll not keep you waiting any longer.

Chapter Two: Masquerade

I DO NOT OWN AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER OR ANYTHING IN THIS STORY!!!!!!!!

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"No... just a little longer..." Sokka mumbled. Katara lightley kicked at the sleeping bag again, but knew her efforts were in vein. Trying to get Sokka up in the morning was useless. Even if she were to dump water acoss his face he'd just grunt in disapproval and roll over, falling back asleep again.

"Toph..? Would you like to have some early morning fun with our dear friend Snoozles here?" Katara smirked. With barely enough time for Toph to get up and run at Sokka, he jumped up.

"I'm up!!" he screamed. Sokka knew there was nothing worse on the entire globe than being woken up by Toph.

Toph stopped about three inches away from him. "Damn! I was pretty close this time too..."

"Thanks Toph," Katara smiled.

"Anytime. Hey, do you know where Aang went? We're supposed to start practicing Earth Bending right about now."

"I think he went to go see appa." She answered.

"Okay, we'll be back later then." The blind girl responded. Before she left, she looked at Sokka who in return, stared at her.

"Wha..." he started, before the ground underneath his feet lifted and shot him three feet in the air. He fell, but quickly got up, and stared at the Earth Bender. "What was that for?!"

"I don't know." Katara and Toph laughed, and Toph, in turn, walked away.

"A man can't even get some shut eye around here... Stupid girls." Sokka mumbled. Another pillar of rock shot out underneath his sleeping bag and shot it to the top of the nearest tree.

"I herd that!" Toph yelled from halfway down the small path.

A loud 'ARRRRRRG!' was the last thing she herd, before she got out of hearing range.

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The day had gone by fast, and before everyone knew it, they were sleeping peacefully in their beds having dreams of the beautiful moon spirit, gallons of mud, old friends, the alluring ocean, and the hidden beauty that lies within the depths of a fire. When the morning came they all would get ready for the tasks that were to come later that night. Even if those tasks were killing a king, or making it through the night and dancing with as little girls as possible, they both seemed unbearable.

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They walked up to the palace gates in silence. Fire Nation people were everywhere, all dressed in elegant gowns. All the people were walking up to guards and handing them an invitation. Lucky for them, the day earlier Toph had brought to their attention that even though everyone was invited, they still needed invitations. So with a long sigh from Katara, Toph and Sokka went and gambled them off the poor village drunk.

"Katara," aang whispered, "Why does your dress look so different from all of theirs?" Katara narrowed her eyes at him. Sure, she didn't like him, but he was one of her best friends. Just what was he trying to say?

"What do you mean?' She asked with a bit of a bite. "I like my dress." Aangs eyes widened.

"No! I didn't mean I don't _like_your dress! I just meant that everyone elses... looks the same! You stand out." he finished. "In a good way!" he quickly added.

"Niiiiiice." Sokka whistled.

"Ummm... Thanks?" Katara said. This was going to be a long night... She could just tell.

"Guys, we should go over the plan really fast." Sokka whispered. Everyone nodded in agreement and huddled together. "So Toph and Aang are going to walk around and scope out the area looking for guards and where and when the fire lord is going to be. While you two are doing that, I'm going to be counting and assessing guards and their shift changes. Katara... It's going to be your job to distract people. You know, just dance... and ... and eat..." He looked a little sad. There was a possibility that they might die tonight and _he _didn't get to eat the _free_ food? What was that about?!

After a stomach rumble, Sokka sighed and continued. "Aang, Toph, when you're done, come and get Katara and I and let us know the scoop. When we know whats going on, Toph,' he nodded at her, "and Katara will go to opposite sides of the room, Aang will line up with wherever the Fire Lord is, and I'll be wherever the most amount of guards are. We'll get into position when the Fire Lord starts to give his speech. When he's just about done, we attack."

When he said the word 'attack', Aang flinched. He was going to have to do this... _really_ do this.

_'There's no turning back now.' _He took a deep breath.

'Breath, Twinkle Toes. It'll be okay, we're here." The monk looked up to see all of his friends smiling at him.

"No matter what happens, we've got each other." Katara encouraged.

"Friends to the end." Sokka patted him on the back. "Now let's do this!"

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After much scheming the day before, her plan was finally going into motion. She watched as the four friends had stopped to talk before reaching the guards. If she didn't time this right, then all her calculations would be in vein.

Carefully, she snuck passed the group of friends that were huddled together. She managed to hear the tall one with the ponytail say something about going over 'the plan' one more time. No matter, it wouldn't make a difference by the end of the night anyway.

"Invitation, please,' The guard commanded as he interrupted her thought process. She gave the invitation and walked into the palace.

"Excuse me, guard?" She beckoned the young guard closest to the throne room. When he came close enough, she whispered "I know of a conspiracy that is in the works right now to kill the Fire Lord. I must speak with him at once."

Being young and most likely inexperienced with issues like this, he gasped, and hurried her through the throne room doors. Inside she could see the silhouette of the Fire Lord sitting high up behind a wall of fire, and more guards then she could imagine.

"What is the meaning of this?" The shadow billowed from atop his firey perch. One does not simply walk in, unnanounced, to see the Fire Lord.

"My Lord, I know of a small group that is planning to kill you tonight. I wished to come and give you a warning.' The grey haired woman spoke.

"Who are these people you speak of?" He asked.

"The Avatar and his Earth bender, sword master, and... and his consort." She didn't know why, but it felt wrong to give up the full identity of one of her own. At least the waterbending girl would have a small advantage on her side if they believed she was nothing more then a companion.

"WHAT?!? THE AVATAR IS DEAD! MY SON KILLED HIM!"

"My Lord, I speak the truth." It pained her to continue calling him her lord, but she knew she'd have to live with it if she wanted to continue living through the night.

Ozai was a little... steamed, to say the least. His son had lied to him, but more importantly, the Avatar was still alive! "I will deal with this accordingly," he hissed between clenched teeth. "There are many things that must be done. Go to the party and enjoy it while it lasts. But before you do, I need a description of what each of them is wearing so that it makes it easier for my guards to pick out and capture the Avatars... friends."

"My pleasure, my lord..." Hama bowed, spreading her cruel, deceitful smile that she had been wearing the entire time, even wider.

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Nervously, they showed the guard their invitations, and walked into what appeared to be a small, but decent sized foyer that held all the food. Upon entering they stopped and gawked.

"Sokka, stop drooling..." Katara breathed. Truth be told she was standing there, mouth open, and drooling just as bad.

"So... much...meat..." He chanted and started walking in a zombie type manor twords the food table.

Toph grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and pulled him back. "Come on Snoozles, you have a job to do. Aang and I will see you two in a bit and let you know..." She stopped. There were so many people! Who knew who was listening in on them? "...what we find."

"Okay, we'll be around. Good luck, be careful, and for god's sake don't any of you DARE take your masks off!" Katara reprimanded. If they were going to do this, they had one shot. They couldn't afford to screw it up now.

"Bu- but can't I just? Just one peice?" Sokka Whimpered.

"No! Let's go, Aang." And with that, Aang and Toph (who was dragging Sokka), left and entered the ballroom, disappearing from Katara's sight.

_'Alright self... just eat food and dance with a lot of people...Find Sokka and before the speech, find a good partner, make a circle, distract everyone, and attack...' _She replayed to herself over and over again as she walked into the ballroom.

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Even if Zuko didn't know what her outfit looked like, he could have easily picked her out of a crowd. Did she really think she was going to suprise his father wearing something so... obvious? She stuck out like a sore thumb. Nobody in the fire nation wore blue.

He sighed. He didn't want to do this, but if he wanted the wrath of his father to lessen for lying about the Avatar later, he should follow his orders now.

'_Alright self... just go up to her, ask her to dance, and follow your fathers orders... even if you don't want to...' _He encouraged himself. Why when his father assigned members of the Avatars group, did he get _her_?

He watched as she started walking into the room. The noise in the room didn't really change, but it seemed to get a few decibels quieter as about half the men in the room stopped their conversations to turn and look at her. She moved towards the dance floor looking a little confused. Now was his chance.

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'_I have no idea what i'm doing...' _She thought.

"You look like you have no idea what you're doing." Said a slightly familiar voice from behind her. She turned to see a boy, or was he a man? It was hard to tell with the mask covering his face. He was standing there with his arm extended towards her. He was hunched in a slight bow. "Would you care to dance?"

Her face got a little pink. "O-Okay." She stuttered as she took his hand. He lightly pulled her to the dance floor. It seemed like the second they stepped onto it, the slow waltzing song stopped and the band played something that neither of them recognized, but it was fast.

When he pulled her to the center of the floor, they stopped and stared at each other for a second. "Do, do I know you? You seem familiar somehow..." She asked.

"I guess you could say we know each other. Not well, but I think that that is going to change after tonight." He smirked. Mentally, he cringed... It was his job to woo her so she wouldn't have the slightest idea of who he was. He was doing what he was instructed to do, it just felt really wrong.

_'Is he coming on to me?!' _Katara mentally panicked. _'And that voice... Where do I know that voice?'_

As she was having her little break down, Zuko took the initiative and started to dance. That seemed to snap Katara out of her zone and get her to do the same thing. She was worried though, because when she danced, she liked to use her sparring moves, so she decided, 'What the heck?', and got into a relaxed fighting stance.

The visible part of her partners face showed worry. _'Is she going to attack me?'_ He thought. But when she slowly moved from her starting stance and went into another stance, he knew exactly what she was doing, and went into his basic stance.

She was shocked! Was he 'fighting' her back?! She thought he'd call her a freak and run away! With a new reassurance, she started to get into more difficult moves. First, she slapped her hand about where his head would be, and he ducked, avoiding her as she continued to spin around, lifting her right leg and spinning only on her left. . What he did next was unexpected. When he ducked, he didn't just duck, he went all the way to the floor and spun around a little bit, doing some kick attack. Although it was hard to do in a dress, Katara jumped and did a little twisting flip, landing near her partners torso. He got up and she backed away. They started to circle each other.

The music was coming to its finale which was it's climax. It started to build, and as it did, Katara and Zuko ran twords each other. Right when they were about to hit, he droped to his knees and slid beside her on her left. As he was about to pass he quickly reached across her body and grabed her right hand. He pulled her hard so that both their bodies would twist and that they would be facing each other. He stopped sliding and raised one of his knees so he was kneeling, and pulled her across his knee, dipping her so that her head was centimeters from the ground. The syncopation between their dance and the music was so perfect, that it made the onlookers wonder if it was choreographed.

Cheers erupted from all around the room. Katara, who was still dipped over his knee was breathing deeply. Sure, it was a short dance, but it was one of the most exciting things she'd ever done! She had just done improv on a dance with a complete stranger, and the crowd had loved it!!

"Here," Zuko looked away and lifted her out of her position. When she was dipped and breathing hard like that, it was hard to ignore the slight curve of her breasts rising and falling so close to him. She blushed when she looked at the stranger.

"Thank you. I haven't had that much fun in a long time." Katara gave him a genuine smile. "Please, who are you?"

Suddenly Zuko felt guilty... Here she was having the time of her life, and he was going to take it all away from her. It didn't seem fair... "You'll know soon enough." But then again, life wasn't fair. Besides, he had to remember who he was talking about here. This was the _Avatar's_ friend. Anything associated with the Avatar, he didn't care about. Therefore, he should not be feeling guilty about what was about to happen to her. Nope. He didn't feel guilty.... Not at all.

'_I really am a monster...' _He said. But still, he didn't let her leave. He said he'd do anything to get his throne back, and if that ment hurting this girl, then so be it.

"Ladies and Gentleman, I have an announcement to make." The Fire Lord stepped out into the room. He was wearing traditional robes, but he wore a mask that resembled a pheonix. "My son has returned home!" The crowd cheered. "But, it is not with honor that he has returned."

What was he saying? He wouldn't publicly humiliate Zuko again, would he? '_Please no...'_Zuko cried in his head.

Katara noticed that her dancing partner flinched when the Fire Lord talked about Zuko. '_What's going on..? Oh no! I need to find Sokka! We're supposed to have already talked about what was going on! The Fire Lord isn't supposed to give his speech for another half an hour!!'_ She panicked.

"I really have to get going. Thanks so much for the dance. It was... it was perfect." She whispered as she blushed.

"Wait! You can't leave yet!" Zuko almost yelled at her as he grabbed her arm. "Just- Just listen to the speech first okay?"

"I'd rather not...Please let me go."

The Fire Lord could hear the argument that went on between his son and that wench, so he sped up his speech. "Zuko may have lied to me to come back to the palace, but he is about to repent for that right now! Guards, now!" He yelled.

Katara was so confused. All of a sudden Ozai was yelling 'Now!' and she heard the distinct cry of Toph, Aang, and Sokka. Then, her dancing partner grabbed her and put the back of her body against him, holding both her wrists in one of his hands, while his other arm went around her neck, holding her in a sort of choke hold.

"Wha-! Let me go!" She screamed.

"Sorry, but I just can't do that, peasant." He spat.

"Zuko?!" Katara yelled in shock. There was no way she couldn't have known it was him!

"Surprise." He whispered into her ear. It was hard to hold her when she was thrashing so much, but he managed. Suddenly, there was a giant gust of air from her left. Guests screamed and scattered out of the room.

"Aa-mmph!" She tried to scream for help, but zuko covered her mouth with his hand.

"Look, if you behave in a civilized manor, we might consider only killing the Avatar. So i'd behave if I were you."

They'd consider _ONLY _killing Aang?! This was so not happening to her! She was completely useless! There had to be a way to get out of this situation! This couldn't be the end. She wasn't ready for this to be the end...

Katara let a few tears slide down her face. Nobody could see them anyway, she still had her mask on.

'_NO! I won't give up!_' She screamed in her head as she bit down with all her might on the inside piece of zuko's fingers.

"Ow! You bitch!" Zuko yelled as he removed his hands from her and held his now injured finger in the opposite hand. Katara had bit it so hard that it was bleeding. She took this opportunity to tare off her mask so that she could see better. Then she ran to her left and saw her friends. They were holding their ground and looked like they were about to back out of the giant hole Toph had made in the wall. She also heard them yelling for her to hurry up, so she started to run.

Zuko was not about to fail. He was already in enough shit for lying to his father about killing the Avatar. This time all he had to do was hold the waterbending peasant until the Avatar was brought down. She had gotten out of his grasp and started running to her left. She got about six feet when he jumped on her from behind.

Katara clearly wasn't expecting the attack because she fell to the ground hard. Zuko twisted her body around and got on top of her, straddling her waist. Again, with one of his hands he captured both of hers and pinned them above her head. This time, though, his free hand made a fire dagger and he placed it just close enough to her neck so she could feel the heat. It was hot enough to hurt, but it wasn't close enough to burn her.

"KATARA!" Aang yelled from across the room. He started to run at Zuko when all the guards came in and made a type of barrier between the two.

"Careful, Avatar. I hold the life of your little girlfriend here in my hands. You wouldn't want me to slip," When he said slip, Zuko's hand inched closer to Katara's neck. She took in a short but quick breath, trying to show that she wasn't in any pain, but failing miserably. ".. now would you?"

"Don't fall for it Aang! Get out of here! I've got this under control!!" Katara yelled, craining her neck as far away from Zuko's fire dagger as possible. The heat was unbearable.

"I can't leave yo-"

"JUST GO!!!" She screamed. Aang looked like he was about to cry, but he turned and ran back to Toph and Sokka. Sokka appeared almost as bad as Aang, except he looked as if he was going to kill someone instead of cry.

'We'll be back! I promise!' was the last thing she herd. About one minute after they had left, Zuko started to pull Katara to her feet along with himself, keeping the dagger at her throat the entire time. He went to grab her arm but she jerked it away.

"I'll follow orders for now, so dont you dare touch me again!" She spat at him.

"Oh, looks like Zuzu's new girlfriend is a little feisty? That's a drastic change from Mai. Speaking of, do you think she'll approve of this?" Azula said as she slid into the room, waiving her finger between Katara and Zuko.

Zuko narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you up to, Azula?" He asked. Something big was about to happen. Azula always had this certain glint in her eyes when something big and good, for her, was about to happen.

"You'll see soon, brother. Guard, go and get the Fire Lord." She commanded.

"But... But your highness... I believe he's still busy talking with that old woman that warned us about the attack..." he said nurvously. He knew that _no_one pisses off Princess Azula and is still in one piece the next day.

"I DON'T REALLY CARE! GO AND GET HIM!" She hollered. "NOW!"

"Yes ma'me!" With that, the guard ran off.

Katara was silent through everything that was going on. She was trying to figure out everything that was happening, and was busy looking for an escape rout. She was so intent on figuring things out, that Ozai's booming voice almost didn't grab her attention.

"What is this? A water rat somehow snuck into the palace. I think we should dispose of it. It's never good to have pests around, they only bring other pests. Kill her." The Lord stated amusingly.

"Wait a minute Father... I think she can be of some use to us yet." Azula pipped in just as the guards had grabbed Katara away from Zuko and surrounded her.

"What do you mean, Azula? How could this Pesant be anything more than a nuisance?" That was it. Katara was sick of the name calling.

"If you let me out of here, i'll show you just how much of a nuisance I can be!!" She said in her most stern voice. They all just laughed at her.

"As I was saying, Father, in order for Zuko to have the throne, he must marry a Princess. Well, here she is, the only remaining princess besides myself."

Katara laughed. Her, a Princess, please. "I'm not a Princess, Princess."

"No, you're not. But, you are the Head Chief's only daughter. In the Southern Water Tribe, Father, the Head Cheif is the one who tells the people what to do. He makes all the important decisions and strategizes all war attacks. He has the same job as you do, just on a much smaller and uncivilized scale. Therefore, he is their Lord, making our dear little captive here, a Princess." Azula finished.

Ozai looked confused. Why was Azula helping her brother take the throne from her? He had gone through so much making sure that she'd get the throne no matter what, and now this? He knew his daughter would do anything to get the throne, and he knew that she was smart. Very smart.

"I do see, Azula. You are such a clever child." He smirked at her. Then he turned his head to Zuko and stretched his arms out like he was addressing a massive crowd. "Prince Zuko, you have much to thank your sister for! For you are now betrothed to the Princess of the Southern Water Tribe! The wedding will be on the 30th of the third month after this one."

"WHAT?! NO! YOU CAN'T JUST DO THAT! I REFUSE!" Katara screamed at the Fire Lord. She was feeling dizzy. They couldn't do that! How could they just make things happen like that? What about if her family approved or not? What about '_her'_ opinion?! Didn't that count for anything?! Her chest was rising and falling rapidly.

"Father, I think she's going to faint." Azula laughed.

Zuko stared at his sister all bug eyed. She did not just help him to get the throne, did she? There had to be more to this. A lot more. He looked over to where the circle of guards used to be. They had disperced around the room. One was coming back with a wet towel. Finally, he looked over at Katara just as the completion of her panic attack caused her to pass out...

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END CHAPTER TWO

So!!! That was Chapter two! lol Sorry if there is still a lot of spelling/grammar mistakes! My editor (aka my older sister haha) is slacking off, so I had to re-read this ten times to try and find all the mistakes. yeah... I bet there's still over 50 of them still in there. lol

Oh! So I said i'd have a link to the picture of Katara's dress up this chapter... well, call me a liar cause I don't have it yet ^^' But I'll try my damndest to get it up next chapter!

THANK YOU TO ALL MY REVIEWERS! YOU GUYS ROCK SO HARD! lol Please, if you want to "rock so hard" as well, just tell me what you think about my chapter :D It's that easy haha. See ya next chapter! Which, by the way, we'll get a visit from a certain 'princesses' angry father :D YAY HAKODA!


	3. Explanations

YAY! Chapter three already! wow! Thanks to any and all of my new and repeated reviewers! You guys make my life... Like, You don't even know. I open my email and get super excited when it says "Fanfiction- review alert"!!!!! lol I'm a nerd... I'm cool with that ;D

So my AWESOME friend .Life edited this chapter for me and added some cool little wording changes. So anything you read that's like, AMAZING (ex: 'Ozai waved off her outcry as if to swat a fly'), SHE DID IT!!!!!! :D I love her so much!!!!!!

Chapter three: Explanations

I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN THIS CHAPTER... OR STORY, FOR THAT MATTER! :( sorta wish I did... BUT I DON'T!

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Katara's eyes flew open as she sprang into consciousness. As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she noticed she was on a soft surface.

"What...?" She mumbled groggily as she looked around the almost completely red room. It was when she glanced above the bed she sat on that she saw it. The fire nation insignia.

"No... This is a dream. This is all just a really real and super convincing dream... That or I'm on cactus juice." She mumbled. Just as she was about to get up and attempt to figure things out, Katara heard heavy footsteps and _his_ now-familiar voice. For some reason—instinct most likely, she didn't want anyone to know she was awake, so she quickly laid back down on the bed and closed her eyes, willing her lungs to even out their quick, panicked gasps into slow, deep breaths.

The door creaked open.

"Huh. I guess you were right, Zuzu. She's still out. Poor thing, I thought she'd be stronger then that. Pathetic." Azula's voice illustrated the smirk on her face. Katara wanted to get up and punch the snark right out of her, but held still and concentrated on her breathing.

"She's stronger than you think," Zuko warned his sister. "She's already awake." All the years Zuko spent on that boat meditating and practicing his breathing finally paid off.

"I knew that." Azula howled at Zuko as Katara sat up and opened her eyes into slits, staring at the two of them.

"What do you want?" Katara spat.

"Nothing more then to see my dear brother happily married and crowned Fire Lord," Azula said, covering her voice with a false sweetness like poison honey. Zuko looked at her.

'_I'll bet that's not all you want...'_ He thought.

"Your Father is here and he refuses to talk until he sees that you are safe and sound," Azula added, drawling on as if the fact was nothing more than the weather. Katara jumped out of the bed.

"My Dad's here?! I want to see him right now!" She demanded.

"How quick you are to make demands to a _real_Princess," Azula said icily as she reached out to hit Katara, but Katara raised her hand to block the attack.

"If you take me to my Father, I promise you I'll never give you a second thought." Katara said menacingly.

"Fine with me, water peasant," Azula said as she came close to Katara, grabbing her by her arm. She leaned in to whisper, "And that's all you'll ever be. Even after you marry my brother, I assure you that you'll never see more then a day of being the Fire Lady," She finished in a hiss. "Now let's go," She said as she pulled Katara out of the room.

Zuko followed in silence, completely unaware of what Azula said to Katara.

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Chief Hakoda was sitting at a long fancy table, surrounded by guards, in what appeared to be a dinning hall.

"Dad!" Katara smiled in spite of her situation as she pushed away the guards that had taken her from Azula.

"Oh, Katara!" He yelled back as he got up to hug her. "Don't worry; everything is going to be all right. I promise I'll get you out of here," he whispered in her ear.

After they had broken their embrace, Katara was told to take a seat across from her father, and next to Zuko. It didn't go unnoticed to her that they were only offered food and nothing to drink. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen any liquid at the party at all; or any since she'd been there.

They were good, but she had to be better…somehow.

"Hello, Water Lord Hakoda." The unmistakable voice of the Fire Lord boomed as he entered the room. Everyone got up and bowed; including Hakoda, but Katara remained in her seat and merely scowled at Ozai.

"It is a pleasure to be thought of as a Lord, Your Highness, but I assure you, I am of no such ranking. I am the Head Chief of the Southern Water Tribe. That is all. You may call me Chief Hakoda," he conveyed with honor. "To what do I owe this visit?"

Katara was in utter shock. Here she was, dinning with her father, the Fire Lord, and Zuko—in the Fire Nation of all places (who they were at _war_ with), and her father was being respectful?!

"Chief Hakoda," Ozai nodded, "it seems that your daughter, Katara, is the only remaining Princess of the four Nations. My son, Zuko, needs to be wed in order to take the throne from me when I die, and the law states that he needs to marry a Princess," he completed sternly, motioning his open palm toward Zuko and Katara. Hakoda stared in shock at Ozai, noticeably absorbing what he just heard. As the Fire Lord's proposition sank in, rage overtook Hakoda. He slammed his hands on the table and pushed himself up.

"You are asking that my daughter _marry_the Fire Prince?! Absolutely not!" Hakoda shouted.

Ozai simply smirked. "I expected that type of response. That is why I had three fleets from the Fire Nation Army sent to the Southern Water Tribe. I do believe that it is all women and children living there at the moment. Am I correct?"

"You wouldn't!!" Katara screamed, standing up as well. "You monster!"

"Zuko, get a hold of your fiancée," Ozai waved off her outcry as if to swat a fly. Zuko stood and grabbed both of Katara's wrists, restraining her.

"Get your filthy hands off my daughter!" Hakoda screamed, pointing at Zuko.

"Will you please calm down, Chief Hakoda? Everything will be well if you just accept Zuko's proposal to your daughter. No one has to get hurt."

Hakoda frowned at Ozai's words, but never took his eyes off of Zuko.

"No."

Ozai extended his hand and snapped. Azula slithered into the room. "Yes, Father?"

"Is everything set?"

"Yes. We received a messenger hawk from the three fleets we sent down," she explained haughtily. "It says that they will reach the Southern Water Tribe in four days and are awaiting your order. As for the fleet of Water Tribesmen outside, they have been dealt with and are currently being detained. The guards are awaiting your order on what to do with them as well."

"Kill them all," Ozai said without a second thought. Azula nodded, bowed, and started to walk away.

"NO!" Hakoda and Katara screamed in unison. Guards jumped on Hakoda and pushed him down onto the table before he could attack.

"STOP IT! GET OFF OF HIM!!!" Katara shouted, tears rushing down her face as she fought to get over to her Father. Zuko's grip only got tighter on her, forcing her to scream in pain. His crushing hold on her wrists forced her still—one move and her hands would be useless. Hakoda watched helplessly as his daughter writhed in agony.

"All you have to do is sign the wedding document and I will retract my order and send my Navy home," the Fire Lord smiled, pushing a piece of paper toward Hakoda. He was going to get what he wanted, even if it was by force.

"Ju..." Katara breathed,"...Just d-do it Dad!" She managed to get through clenched teeth as she winced under the pressure of Zuko's grasp. "It's n-not worth our entire tribe's lives!!"

Hakoda stared at his daughter. He knew that no matter what he did, someone was going to get hurt... "I can't Katara..."

"YES, YOU CAN!! JUST DO IT!" She screamed at him.

"They'll kill you after the wedding..." He whispered, and everything went silent. The only sound was of Katara's quiet cries.

"I already know that Dad..." Katara sobbed, "but my death is better then the deaths of the entire tribe!"

"Now, why would we kill you?" Ozai said as he and Azula laughed.

Zuko scowled. He knew what they were doing was wrong. He also knew that after they killed Katara, it was only a matter of time that he would get the same. That was the catch. There was no way Azula and his Father would just hand over the throne like that.

"Are you sure, Katara?" Hakoda whispered as his eyes moved to her. The instant there eyes met, his glassed over with tears. She looked so much like her mother when she cried...

"...Yes." She murmured, hanging her head in defeat.

The guards that held Hakoda down loosened their grasps so that he could grab the paper and quill. He pressed the ink-covered feather to the paper and signed it. When he finished, he slid the paper in Ozai's direction.

Upon examining the signature, he smiled. "Guards, escort the water Chief to his boats and make sure they all leave. I am a man of my word, Chief Hakoda; and as I said, your men will be released and I will retrieve my navy. It was a pleasure doing...business with you." Ozai smirked.

"I love you, Katara..." Hakoda whispered as he was being pulled away from the table. "Your mother would be so proud of you..."

"I love you too..." She managed to say as the guards, followed by Azula, pulled her father out of sight.

"Welcome to the Family, Katara," Ozai laughed viciously. "Zuko, why don't you take the lovely _Princess_back to your room and have some fun?" He said as he walked out of the room, leaving Katara alone with Zuko.

"I swear to the Gods, if you touch me I'll kill you!!" Katara yelled at Zuko as he pulled her away from the table.

"If I really wanted to touch you," he whispered into her ear, "there's nothing you could do about it. But don't worry, you're not my type."

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The walk back to what Katara assumed was Zuko's room was completely silent. When they got there, Zuko locked the door behind them and walked over to his dresser.

"Here," he said as he pulled out some clothes. Katara stared at him. "Unless you want to stay in that dress the entire time you're here." He finished sarcastically, putting the clothes back.

Katara, for the first time since she'd woken up, looked down at what she was wearing, only to find the same dress she wore at the party. Only now, the dress was torn and stained. "Fine" was all she said as she carefully got closer to him.

Zuko pulled the clothes back out of the drawer and handed them to her outstretched hand. Not wanting to look at her face, Zuko kept his gaze on her arm and cringed a little at the sight of a very noticeable black and purple imprint around her wrist. He didn't remember squeezing her that hard...

Katara took the clothes from him and backed away, keeping her eyes on him the entire time. "Do you have a...bathroom I can change in?" She asked coldly.

"Do you really think I'm that stupid?" He countered.

"You don't want me to answer that," she said without hesitation and sighed. "Then, do you have a separate room I can change it?" She doubted it... There wasn't even a closet in the room.

"No."

"Then you can leave."

"No, I can't."

"I'll only be three minutes. Trust me; I don't know how to bend metal." Just saying that made her miss Toph. '_How are they all doing..? I hope they're alright without me... Hurry guys.'_

"I can't because my father thinks we're in here having sex," he said bluntly. "And he'll have sent some guards down here in case something...goes wrong."

Katara's tear stained face got a little pink. Like she would ever consider doing _that_ with _him!_ And what could go wrong? There wasn't any water in the room. She doubted there was _any_ water in the palace right now...

Zuko saw the confusion on her face and decided to elaborate. "You could not comply with my...wishes... and I could end up killing you as punishment." Katara's facial expression got angry, and he didn't blame her. His father had taken a liking to foreign concubines after his mother's disappearance, and Zuko had witnessed many a dead woman being hauled out of his father's room because they didn't obey his orders. It was one of the things that Zuko hated most about his father and swore that when _he _was Fire Lord, it would never happen again. Unfortunately, his father thought that the apple didn't fall far from the tree...

"You people are disgusting," Katara spat.

"You're calling _us_disgusting when you've been wearing the same dress for two days..." Zuko muttered.

"I was out for two whole days?" Katara whispered mostly to herself, but Zuko still heard her.

"A smarter person would have realized that it's a 36 hour trip from Chameleon Bay to the Fire Nation Capital. How do you think your father got here so fast? By magic?" he asked sarcastically.

Katara didn't comment anymore on her father...it made her eyes well up just thinking about him. She changed the subject. "Where am I supposed to change then?"

Zuko didn't say anything; he just turned his back to her and crossed his arms. She didn't like it, but Katara knew that there was nothing more she could do. So, reluctantly, she attempted to undress, but too bad for her that the hooks on the dress were in the back and out of reach. She sighed.

"Could... Do you think you could...maybe...?" She got out as she reached with all her might for the first hook. She would give anything in the world not to have to ask him for help... but that's what it looked like she was going to have to do...

'_Just spit it out so this will be over with!'_ She mentally scolded herself.

"Will you help me get these hooks?" She growled between clenched teeth.

"What?"

"I said will you help me?" Katara said a little louder. Asking him for help made her feel incompetent, but she had no choice.

Zuko had heard her the first time, but it amused him to hear the embarrassment in her voice. Slowly, he turned and looked at her. "You can't do it yourself?" He sneered.

"No" was all she said.

"Wow...They don't even teach peasants how to change clothes these days... Unbelievable." He sighed as he rolled his eyes and walked the short distance between them. When he got to her, she turned around and lifted her hair. It felt wrong to have her back to him. What felt even more wrong was the tingles she got when his hand brushed against her back.

Zuko noticed the shiver that ran through her body. Without hesitating, he lightly tugged at the small metal loops, watching the reveal of her bare skin as he released each hook. He couldn't help but notice the smooth contours of her back, and how her tan skin contrasted against his pale hands.

Katara lifted her arms across her chest, holding the dress in place. It was already awkward enough—the last thing she needed was for her dress to fall off.

"Umm… Thanks," She murmured under her breath as she turned around. He was already on the other side of the room, his back turned toward her again. She hurried and changed into the outfit she was giving and walked over to the giant mirror that hung vertically next to the bed.

Strangely enough, the outfit fit her perfectly. She didn't think red was her color, but it didn't look all that bad. In fact, she liked the color more then the actual outfit. What she didn't like about it was that it was a dress. How was she supposed to fight in a dress? She'd barely managed at the party, but she'd also lost miserably. The dress itself was pretty enough, though. It was full length, and one solid color of dark red. There were sleeves on it, but the top was cut open to reveal both of her shoulders, and the straps came over them, creating a dip down to the middle of her back.

After she admired the dress, she looked at her face.

'_I'm a mess...'_ She thought.

"Look," she said, turning to face Zuko, who was watching her admire herself out of the corner of his eye. "I _need_ to take a bath, and I'll need to use a bathroom eventually. Water is a necessity."

He sighed. "My father already has things worked out. I'll go and talk with him." And with that, he left Katara to her thoughts.

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"IT'S BEEN TWO WHOLE DAYS! WE _HAVE_TO GO BACK!" Aang screamed at the top of his lungs at Sokka and Toph.

"Aang! It'll be okay! Sugarqueen can take care of herself! I promise!" Toph said for the millionth time. This had to end. It was pissing her off that he was so worried about Katara. She was worried too! Just, it was weird, but she was... jealous, almost, that he was so worried.

'_Would he be as concerned if _I_ was gone?'_ She thought to herself.

"SHE COULD BE DEAD FOR ALL WE KNOW!"

"DON'T SAY THAT!" Sokka screamed and stood up, staring Aang down. "She's not dead." He shook his head. "Katara is NOT dead!"

"Not yet..." A miserable voice came from behind them. They all turned to see who it belonged to just as Hakoda, Bato, and a few more Water Tribesmen walked out of the bushes.

"Dad!! What? How?" Sokka rambled out as he ran to his Father to embrace him. "They have Katara, Dad! I'm so sorry I couldn't protect her!"

"It's alright Sokka, I know everything..." Hakoda tried to comfort his son.

"What's going on?" Toph asked as they all took a seat around the campfire. Hakoda began to explain how Katara was forced into a betrothal with Zuko.

"SHE'S WHAT?!!?!!"

"Calm down, Aang! The wedding is not for another three months," Hakoda said.

"There is NO WAY in hell that Katara is marrying that jerk!" Sokka shouted, receiving an enthusiastic nod from Aang.

"The wedding isn't even the bad part," Toph chimed in. "You all herd him say that they were going to _kill_ her after the wedding, didn't you? I think that's what we should be the most concerned about!"

"You're right, young Earth Bender," said Bato. "Katara's life is more important then being forced to marry Prince Zuko."

"There can't be a wedding if there's no groom..." Aang muttered.

"AANG! Stop it! You are acting so immature! All you're worried about is her getting married!! SHE COULD DIE!!" Toph screamed.

"He has a point..." Sokka said. "If we... get rid of the groom, then they'll have no reason for her to be around."

"And they'll kill her sooner," Bato added.

All the talk of Katara's death was finally starting to sink into everybody. The only sound was their breathing, the babble of a distant stream, and the crackling of the fire.

"First and foremost, we need to come up with a plan," Hakoda stated. "We'll do that tomorrow morning at sunrise. We should all get some food in our stomachs, and then get a lot of rest."

With those final words, the tribesmen set up camp, and Sokka, Toph, and (because the two refused to let him out of their sight) Aang, went to find food.

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"Katara?" said a shaky voice that could only belong to an old person. Katara, who was sitting on the bed, looked up into the mirror to see who had entered the room and spoken.

"Hama?! What are you doing here?! Are you alright? Did they capture you too?"

"No, my dear child, they did not. Did they find out you're a waterbender?"

Katara thought it was a weird question to ask, but answered anyway. "Yes, Zuko knew I was a waterbender... Oh, you'll never believe what happened! So we went to the party and-"

"I know exactly what happened. I was there. So they know you're a waterbender? I guess you won't be of any use to me if they know…" Hama muttered so quiet that Katara didn't hear her.

"What...? So you were there, too? Then, why didn't you help us? That's why I'm here; because somehow they knew we were going to attack! But it's weird: How could they have known? Nobody knew besides Aang, Sokka, Toph, Me and you...You!" The realization finally struck Katara. "You're the one that told them we were going to attack!"

Hama's menacing laugh chilled Katara to the bone. "Yes, I told the Fire Lord about your plan."

Katara was in complete and utter shock. "Why..? But you hate the Fire Nation! Why would you HELP them? We were going to win! If you wouldn't have told them the Fire Lord would be _dead_right now!" She stood up and faced Hama.

"I want him dead, Katara. Don't tell me I _helped_ the Fire Nation! The Fire Lord _will_ die, and it will be by _my_ hand!"

"It's Aang's destiny to kill him! Not yours!"

"I have a personal grudge against Ozai," She hissed. "He took away and killed my people, OUR people, Katara!"

"He killed ALL of Aang's people!!! Aang has a grudge, too! Hama, we can win this war! Please, if you help me get out of here, we can all bring down the Fire Lord together!" Katara knew she had no hope of getting help from her... Hama was _crazy_. But, it was worth a try.

"I have no intention of sharing my victory with anyone, especially the _Avatar._" Hama said the title with such disgust, that Katara backed down a little. "Where was the _Avatar_ when our people were being killed off one by one for two years?! Don't tell me he 'didn't know'. Please! Everyone knew that the Southern Water Tribe was being raided! But did anyone help?! NO!" Hama's voice rose in pitch as her rant got more and more hysterical. "Where was the Avatar when Ba Sing Se was being penetrated by the Dragon of the West?! Nobody helped anybody then either! Not even your precious Avatar! So don't you dare feed me that '_It's his destiny'_ bullshit!"

"It's not Aang's fault!" Katara started.

"You're unbelievable!" Hama laughed. "Where's your precious Avatar in _your_time of need, Katara? Look around! He's not here!!"

"He'll be here... just you wait and see! Aang _will_ help me! And it will be _Aang_that kills the Fire Lord! Not you!" Katara's words were so strong and powerful, that Hama snapped. She lifted her arms and all of a sudden, Katara couldn't move.

"Stop it, Hama! Release me right now!" She demanded.

"I think I'll have some fun with you, Katara. How about we start with you killing your fiancé, and then the Princess? Better to have them think it's you then me. When they're out of the way, _I'm_going to kill Ozai. Then I'll make you—that is, if you are still alive, I'll make _you_kill the Avatar. That would make things SO easy! He'd never hurt you, Katara. Did you know he loves you? It's written all over his face. It killed him to leave you in Zuko's arms... Yes, we'll kill him slowly and painfully...that sounds nice."

"STOP IT!!" Katara screamed at the top of her lungs in disgust. "STOP!!" As hard as Katara tried, she couldn't make her legs stop walking. She couldn't move her arms, she couldn't do anything.

'_No..! No! I can't kill Aang! He's my best friend! No!!' _Katara's eyes welled up with tears. She was sacrificing so much to keep the people she loved alive, and now she was going to be the reason for there deaths...

Hama suddenly gasped and Katara fell to the ground. Looking up, Katara saw Zuko holding a fire dagger to Hama's neck. A mess of guards were behind him in fighting stances.

"Has she released you?" he asked Katara. All she could do was nod. She was so shaken up, she couldn't speak.

"How did you know?" Hama choked out. "My planning was flawless!"

"It's a little hard not to hear when we are posted outside this room at all times, and you two are in here screaming," a guard answered.

"So you're planning to kill the Fire Lord? If I do remember correctly, that's a crime punishable by death. Katara, look away."

She didn't need to be told twice.

Hama screamed, and then there was a horrible cracking sound followed by a deafening silence. Katara heard the guards drag what she assumed was the body, away.

Zuko walked over to Katara and helped her up. When they were standing, she wrapped her arms around him without a thought and started bawling. Zuko was a little uncomfortable at first, but after a second, it felt sort of… right to him, so he wrapped his arms around her.

Katara couldn't have cared if it was the Fire Lord she was holding and crying on. All she knew was that she needed a shoulder... Oddly enough, she couldn't help but feel safe in his warm embrace. It was different then any other hug she'd ever had before... It felt right.

"Here, sit down." Zuko whispered in her ear as he sat down on the bed and put her beside him. She didn't let go of him, and didn't stop crying.

"She's gone for good. She won't bother you again." He didn't know what else to say; he just wanted her to stop crying. He hated it when girls cried. A flash of intuition struck him and he began to gently rock the girl in his arms—exactly how his mother used to when he was upset.

Katara's sobbed quieted as her breaths became deep and slow. When Zuko was sure she was unconscious, he laid her down and walked out of the room.

"What, you're not going to watch her sleep?" Azula asked from the shadows. "That was touching, brother. Are you falling for your little peasant wench?"

"Don't be stupid, Azula," He snapped as he walked down the hallway, thinking about the strange feeling of Katara's arms wrapped around him.

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END CHAPTER THREE

Sorry... Zuko was a bit of a douche in this chapter lol. But I was trying to get across how I think he would have acted if this were true... Okay, maybe I made him a little too mean. haha.

So yupp! Hama did what she did so that A) Katara could get captured, and B) So Zuko and Katara could have an early on fluff-ish moment to hopefully bring them closer together :DDDD

So! As promised!! Here is my link to Katara's dress:

.com/art/Forbidden-Unknown-Katara-120052749

AND A SUPER SPECIAL AWESOME SURPRISE!!!! My awesome friend .life drew a picture of Katara's dress as well!!! YAY! :

.com/art/Masque-Katara-119842049

...and here.. cause I'm weird and love to see costumes in fanfiction, is a REALLY ROUGH sketch of Katara's dress in this chapter:

.com/art/Forbidden-Unknown-ch-3-120053712

(I AM NOT AN ARTIST! Lol. As much as I'd love to be, I'm not, so please be kind if you have a DevArt and decide to comment on my [and my friends] drawings... I know mine aren't proportioned right lol)

**FANFICTION MONITOR PEOPLE!!! PLEASE DON'T ERASE MY CHAPTER IF I'M NOT ALLOWED TO POST LINKS!!! JUST LET ME KNOW AND I'LL CHANGE IT!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH! :D**

Next chapter will have a LOT more of Zuko in it and not so much of Katara (Not that she won't be there though, lol) REVIEW PLEASE! (and don't be afraid to tell me if your confused, I'll do my best to explain things to you... even I'm a little confused lol)


	4. Tension Part 1

Chapter Four!!!!! COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLL!!! ... I'm sorry... It's been almost three monthes (maybe only 2.5... lol) since I've updated haha... It's just that it's getting hard cause I knew the beginning, and I know the end, I'm just not sure on the middle yet and how I'm gonna get to the end :D Plus I've been busy with my sister getting ready to have her baby, graduation, and prom! so yea... lots of goodies haha. Anywho!

This chapter is more focused on Zuko and the Gaang. (At least that's my goal haha)

Also, my super special awesome friend who's editing is named Zutarian . For . Life. For some reason that didn't show up last chapter :)

Yeah... the links from the previous chapter didn't really work so good... so just put DOT com in front of the first and third ones, and DOT com in front of the second or middle one :D Thanks.

As always THANK YOU SO MUCH to all my reviewers! And GUESS WHAT?! I've got over 20 Story alerts on this! omg WOW! Thanks everyone!!!!!!!!! (even if you don't review :) lol

Chapter Four: Tension

I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN THIS CHAPTER OR STORY!!!! TRUST ME!... Things would have turned out different if I did... :D

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'_What, you're not going to watch her sleep? ...That was touching, brother. Are you falling for your little peasant wench?'_

Zuko shook his head in attempt to dispel Azula's comments.

'_What's wrong with me?' _he thought while convincing himself that he was merely using the girl and not falling for her.

Though, he had to admit she wasn't all that bad looking. In fact, the first time he saw her at the Southern Water Tribe, she stood out among all the other girls. But, no matter how attractive she was, it still didn't help the fact that she was a friend of the _Avatar_, if not _more_ then a friend.

Zuko blanched. The thought of the Avatar having anyone as 'more then a friend' was not a something he wanted trailing through his mind.

Zuko sighed and continued on his way to find his father for the present situation. The peasant was right; water _was_ a necessity. She'd have to have it eventually. Zuko just hoped that his father had thought about a solution before he was presented with the problem.

"Prince Zuko," stated one of the guards as he bowed when he walked by.

Zuko nodded. Sure, for the first two days, the palace life was nice. What with people waiting on him hand and foot getting whatever he wanted… But now, he missed his ship. At least on the ship he wasn't being forced into marriage.

Looking up, Zuko found himself in front of the War Chamber. Taking a breath, he entered the room and bowed; waiting for his father to speak before he even looked at him.

"What is it, Prince Zuko?"

"The old woman who told us about the Avatar's plan was a waterbender. She was trying to recruit Ka—" Zuko's mind stumbled through her name. He couldn't say it. She'd always been 'water peasant' or some other insulting name. Sure, he'd said her name when he told her to look away, but that time it seemed to just come natural to him. "—the water peasant to assassinate you."

Ozai's eyes narrowed. "Interesting. What did you do to her?"

"I killed her."

The look of surprise on Ozai's face was visible even to where Zuko sat.

"I am impressed, Zuko. I did not think you had it in you. You are turning into the son I thought I would have more and more everyday." He smiled evilly.

"Thank you, Father," Zuko said in a monotone voice. "It means a lot to hear that from you. If you do not mind, there is one more issue I wish to speak to you about."

"You may proceed."

"The waterbending peasant that is locked in my room will eventually need water to survive. How do you think we should go about giving it to her?"

"I have thought about that, and, since she is _your_ fiancée, that means she is also _your_ responsibility. When she is given water of any sort, for any reason, you will be there to keep her under control." Ozai smirked.

Zuko cringed. He really should have been expecting that type of answer.

"With all do respect, Father, isn't there anything else we could do?" He almost begged while a very faint blush crept across his face as he realized just what that order entailed.

"Why? Are you afraid she might be stronger then you, Prince Zuko?" Ozai challenged. That snapped Zuko's head back into the conversation and away from any perverted thoughts that were starting to reach his adolescent mind. "You will do as I say and that is final. You may go."

Slowly, Zuko got up and walked out of the room.

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Aang opened his left eye to a tiny slit, making sure the coast was clear. All he could see was Toph's tent in the distance, and what he assumed was Sokka's pony tail almost directly in his face. With the stealth that only an Airbender could have, he crept out of his borrowed sleeping bag, and stood on it, making sure the adults were asleep as well before he made his move.

"I'm coming, Katara," he whispered valiantly as he started to push off the ground and leap onto Appa.

"Oh, no you're not." Sokka said simply as he grabbed Aang's ankle and held him to the ground. He and Toph had expected Aang to try and leave, so they made an offer to the adults: If he and Toph stayed up all night, then they had to watch Aang in the morning while they slept.

"Let me go, Sokka!" Aang whispered as loud as he could without waking the adults.

"Hmm, let me think…" Sokka pretended to be lost in thought. "No."

"I'm going whether you want me to or not!" Aang shouted in a whisper as he blasted Sokka with air. Unable to withstand the wind, Sokka let go of him.

"It doesn't matter, Toph's sleeping on Appa, and I'm pretty sure you're not getting past her." Sokka yawned. Aang knew that if what Sokka said was true, then there was no way he was leaving on Appa. But still, he had to try.

As he leapt onto Appa, he was immediately thrown to the ground and incased in a stone tent. This only made him laugh. "Are you forgetting that I can earth bend too?" Aang went to move the rock slabs, but they wouldn't budge.

"Are you forgetting who the teacher is?" came Toph's voice.

"Toph, this isn't funny! Let me out of here!" Aang tried to remain calm, but, clearly, he was not bending his way out of this situation. Toph was right, she was the teacher and he was no where near as strong as she was.

"It's not going to work, Twinkle Toes; you're staying in there all night," Toph explained.

"Why don't you care at all about her?!" Aang exploded.

"Why do you care so much?!" She yelled back. "Katara is a strong, proud woman, Aang! She knows how to take care of herself! And if you would have actually listened to what Hakoda was saying earlier, then you would know that she's marrying Zuko by CHOICE, Aang! She CHOSE him!!"

"Because she _had_ too!" Aang shouted helplessly. "She doesn't love him! And she sure as hell would NEVER choose him if she had an open choice!" Aang kept screaming. "What does it matter to _you _anyway?! You wouldn't even understand! You haven't even been part of the group long enough to actually CARE about her or anyone here! And on THAT note, _why are you even here_?!"

There was a thick, deafening silence. Suddenly, the rock that held Aang slid back into the Earth, and there Toph was, staring at Aang with tears in her eyes.

"I don't know" was all she said. Aang stared at her then turned his gaze to everyone else who was woken by their argument. Seeing their faces made him realize what he had said.

"Toph, I..." he started.

"Go."

"I'm so sorr-"

"IF SHE'S THAT IMPORTANT TO YOU, THEN _GO_!" Toph hollered, tears rolling down her face.

"I think it's best if you don't go," Hakoda chimed in. "We all need rest, and no matter what our title is, or how strong we think we are, not one of us here can help Katara alone."

For once in his life, the sound of Katara's name didn't grab Aang's attention. He was still focused on Toph's face. He had made her cry. _He_ had made _Toph..._ cry... He felt horrible.

"I'm not stopping you, Aang. I'm just telling you that if you go, you will fail."

"I'll stay with you," he replied, but stared at Toph as he said it.

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_'How am I going to explain this to her?'_ Zuko pondered as he stared at the pond. This place was important to him. He and his mother had had many important conversations at the pond and that's why Zuko did most of his thinking there.

'_I guess I'll just have to say it.'_ He sighed as he stood up and brushed off his clothes.

"Were you thinking about her?" said an emotionless voice from behind him.

Zuko froze.

"I know all about her, Zuko. Do you think Azula wouldn't have mentioned something to me?"

"Mai-" Zuko turned.

"Don't 'Mai" me! Why couldn't you have picked me?! What, am I not good enough? Am I not pretty enough? I thought you _loved_ me!" Her rare emotions began to creep into her voice.

"Mai, I had no choice... My father arranged the whole thing..."

"I don't want to hear it! You know what? I'm _glad_ you're messing around with that Water Tribe whore! When it's announced that you two are engaged, the entire Fire Nation will hate you! Marrying a Water Tribe wench." Mai's face curled in disgust. "And of ALL the wenches, the Avatar's?! What were you thinking?" She began to sob.

Zuko didn't know what to do. He didn't want to deal with this right now... He already had enough to worry about.

"I hope you enjoy your time with the little whore because she doesn't have that much time left!"

"I don't have time for this!" Zuko pushed past her, anger in his voice. "After you've calmed down, we can talk."

"Oh, I don't need to talk to you to hear it. You're already the talk of the palace, Zuko! Everybody hates what you're doing! You may have been redeemed for what you did in the past, but what you're doing now is an even bigger shame! That girl will be what takes away what little is left of your honor!" Mai screamed after him as he turned the corner and left her there to cry.

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When Zuko entered the room, Katara was sitting up on the bed. After what Mai had said, just seeing Katara made him angry.

"Get up," he demanded. The look of shock on her face was enough to show him that he had gotten his point across.

Slowly, Katara got up, never taking her eyes off of him. "What is it?" she asked calmly. She knew he was upset and that he was about to snap at any moment.

Zuko walked over to her and grabbed her by her wrist, knowing full well of the purpling bruise that was there, not caring when she cringed in pain.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" Katara commanded while she tried to slip out of his grasp. It was a useless attempt. In a bending battle, she knew they were about even, give or take the time of day, but, in a hand to hand battle, she was no match.

That wasn't going to stop her though, so she slapped him across the face.

Time seemed to stand still for a minute. Zuko's head was turned and Katara's hand was still in the air. Before Katara could even evaluate the situation, Zuko had shoved her onto the bed and pinned her down, again, putting both of her hands in one of his.

Before she could say anything, Zuko's free hand sailed down toward her face, only to stop an inch away. Katara looked up at him with wide eyes full of fear.__

Zuko looked into the bright blue eyes that seemed to be bulging from her face and said, "You're not even worth it..."

Katara continued staring at him. She was so confused, and so scared. "Will- will you get off of me now...?" She gulped. Not only was his fist still an inch away from her jaw, but so was his face...

Getting up, he pulled her with him. "We're going," he said.

"Where..?" She hesitantly questioned. The last thing she needed was to set him off again.

"To a bathroom."

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Aaaaaaalrighty then :D That's Ch. 4 part 1! Sorry it took so long! I've been SUPER busy! That's why its so short… I figured If I was into a story, I'd want to have even the slightest bit of information… Even if it was only half of a chapter! XD Again, thank you for reading/reviewing/wasting your time on my story :D Ch. 4 part 2 is already in the writing stage (and I plan to finish it today((6.17.09)) and send it off to my amazing editor tonight!)


	5. Tension Part 2

-1Ch. 4 part 2. Tension/First Glimpse.

:D

((I'd like to apologize to my editor!!!!!! I was a horrible friend and forgot all about her Graduation party…until her friend called me and reminded me and then my mom said I couldn't go cause we were all out of gas so I couldn't take the car L I am SO, SO, SO unbelievably sorry Sammi! I feel like a horrible friend! I, legit, cried! I have so few ((like 3)) friends that I'll hopefully continue talking to for the rest of my life and you're one of them and I feel so horrible! I'm so, so sorry… I'm not a good friend L))

I DO NOOOOOOOOT OWN ANYTHING IN ANY OF MY WRITINGS ON THE INTERNET :D..o.O?.. TAT *sob*

Editor's note: It's okay Erica!!! You are an amazing friend so hush! It was just a party, and the fact that you wanted to go is all I need to know J

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"We're going where?" Katara asked again.

"To a bathroom. You smell."

"EXCUSE YOU?" She screamed. Just the expression on her face evaporated Zuko's bad mood instantly. He almost laughed, but he managed to hold it in.

"Did I stutter? I said you smell. Even if I don't want you to be, you are my fiancée, and on top of that, you are a Princess. Last time I checked, Princesses are not supposed to smell like the behind of an animal."

As much as Katara wanted to hit him again, she knew that it wouldn't be a wise decision.

She sighed. "So, I'm going to be able to bathe?"

Zuko nodded.

"With water?"

"No, in a pit of fire," he replied sarcastically. The worried look on her face made him want to slap his forehead with his own palm. "Of course in water! Seriously, who the hell takes a bath in a pit of fire?!"

"I don't know! Maybe you people do! The way you fling fire around, it's almost as if your skin is impervious to it!"

'_With water? What kind of dumb question was that, Katara?' the girl mentally scolded herself and looked down in shame so her blush was not visible to Zuko. Three blind steps forward and she bumped into what could have been a wall. Looking up, she wished it was. There she was, once again, mere inches away from her captor. _

"A fire bender can be burnt," he whispered as he touched the scar on his face with his finger tips, "just as easily as a water bender can drown." Slowly, he moved his hand from his face to her neck, then carefully wrapped his hand around it.

"Noted," Katara gasped, pushing herself away from his touch. Zuko turned and began to walk away.

Katara stood there, lost in her thoughts.

'_I need to be more careful with what I say…his mood swings make him weirder than Sokka sometimes! First, he kidnaps and enslaves me; then, he becomes betrothed to me, and hates me; he saves my life, then almost kills me; he makes fun of me, and now he's acting all intuitive… Can't he just pick an emotion and stay with it for more than three minutes?!'_

"Are you coming?" he grunted after noticing she wasn't following him. Zuko's voice managed to slap her back into reality.

"So, I'm really allowed to take a bath in water? How come? What's the catch?" she asked suspiciously.

"Yes; because my father said so; and…" Zuko began answering her series of questions, but stopped at the last one. His plan was to just tell her the truth, but that was easier said than done. He needed to find a way to say it without sounding like a total pervert.

"And?" Katara ushered him on.

"Well…it's, um…" Zuko was having more trouble with this conversation than confronting his father for the first time upon his arrival home.

"What's the catch?" Katara prompted. She began to worry about how horrible this catch was going to be. A million 'what if's started playing through her head. '_What if I had to be accompanied by Azula?! I'd be boiled to death for sure! What if Ozai was going to be there?! Zuko did say how he liked foreign women… What if…'_

"You have to tell me before I drive myself crazy! What. Is. The. Catch?" she said emphatically, trying to keep her mind away from all of the horrible scenarios the formed within it.

Knowing there was nothing he could do but spit out the truth, Zuko sighed in defeat.

"It's Azula isn't it?!" Katara shouted before he could say anything. "I'm telling you here and now that I will not be responsible for her death! I won't attack her if she doesn't attack me, but if she--"

"I'm the catch," Zuko muttered over her rant.

"--attacks me first then technically it's considered self defense and I can't be charged--"

"I'm the catch, Katara," he said loud enough for her to hear, rubbing his temples.

"--with mur…der…?" her little tirade trailed off as she puzzled over Zuko's statement. He was the catch?

"No." She stopped walking, planted her feet firmly on the ground, and crossed her arms. She'd rather have faced Azula without water than to have to be naked in the same room as Zuko. _'Hell,' _she thought, _'I'd rather be naked in front of Ozai than Zuko.'_ Katara stopped to wonder why that was, but crushed the urge as she felt her heart rate pick up.

"You have no choice in the matter," Zuko said sternly, then sighed. "Now hurry up so we can get this over with." He walked over and grabbed the upper part of her arm, pulling her along.

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After the argument between Toph and Aang, most of the water tribesmen went back to sleep. Hakoda and Bato had decided to switch watch with Sokka and Toph and stay up for the remainder of the night, letting the two rest after the fight.

Although it would have been easiest to go to sleep, said sleep seemed to evade Toph and burden her with being awake and the nasty effects of thinking. Normally, that wouldn't bother her; she liked being awake at night. Everything was cooler, quieter, and easier to understand. But right now, she'd give anything to be asleep.

"Maybe you should go talk to her," she heard Sokka say. "She looks really upset."

"I've tried," Aang sighed. "But every time I get within 10 feet of her, she turns her head in the other direction; she wont listen to me." Aang finished miserably, shifting his feet. The vibrations that came from his subtle movement let Toph see that he and Sokka were sitting by the fire.

"You could try giving her food," Sokka offered. "That always cheers me up." That brought a smile to Toph's face. Whether he was trying or not, leave it to Sokka to always make her smile.

'_Why are you even here?!'_

And just as easily as it came, the smile left.

'_Why _am _I here?' _She wondered as the stinging returned to her eyes.

"I don't think she wants food, Sokka," Aang said with light amusement.

"Well, more food for me then." Toph heard the rustling of Sokka's clothing as he shrugged. "On a more cheery subject; what were you thinking? Trying to leave in the middle of the night to 'rescue' Katara? You would have been caught and killed." It was an unusual thing for Sokka to bring up serious subjects such as that one, but everyone knew that it had to be done.

"You don't understand. I…I love her, Sokka."

Toph held her breath. Of course she knew that Aang loved Katara--the whole world knew that Aang loved Katara, but…she just didn't like being reminded of it.

"I know," Sokka replied tiredly, "but did you ever stop to consider how she feels?" Toph barely felt Aang's uncomfortable shift in his seat, but she clearly heard his long sigh.

"She has to love me. It just…makes sense. I'm the Avatar, the _good_ guy, and she's my best friend. It's meant to be."

If she didn't know better, Toph would have snorted. Loudly. But she bit her tongue and continued to listen.

Sokka shook his head. "If everything happened the way it does in our childhood stories, then we wouldn't be where we are right now, would we, Aang?"

"I guess not, but even so, who else could she fall in love with?" Aang asked almost desperately. "Jet's dead, we haven't seen Haru since forever ago, and you're her brother. She doesn't know that many other guys."

Sokka sighed. "That's all you know, Aang. You forget that she had a life before you. Take a look around. All these men are suitable bachelors for Katara."

Toph felt Aang turn around and look at all the sleeping water tribesmen. She could feel the shock on his face as he realized just how young they really were.

"The oldest guy here," Sokka continued, "excluding my Dad and Bato, is 23 years old. The youngest, excluding us, is 17."

"Wait, aren't you 17ish, Sokka?"

"Yup."

"Then why didn't you leave with all of them when the Southern water tribe joined the war?"

"I was told to stay back and protect the village and Katara… Some protector I turned out to be." Toph heard Sokka mutter that last part under his breath. Aang didn't seem to be listening anymore.

"I'm going to try to get some sleep. I promise that I won't try to sneak out again. Goodnight," Aang huffed as he stood up and started walking towards his sleeping bag. As he passed Toph's rock tent, he stopped and stared at her supposedly sleeping silhouette.

"I'm sorry, Toph." Was all it took to make the tears appear back on her cheeks.

'_It's okay Twinkle toes…'_

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"Good evening, Prince Zuko. Princess." The two old ladies that were standing outside the bathroom bowed and welcomed them. "How may we be of service?"

"Well, for starters, you could send me home," Katara mumbled as she looked off to the side.

"As much as we wish we could, your highness, we can not," they both responded. Katara rolled her eyes.

"Could you please see fit to it that she gets bathed?" Zuko handed Katara's arm over to the women.

"Ah ah ah, Prince Zuko," one scolded.

"We were given special orders from the Fire Lord himself," the other said.

"Not to let anyone bathe the Princess--"

"Except for--"

"You," they both finished.

Zuko rubbed his right temple. "Of course he did." He tugged on Katara. "Come on."

Katara didn't like being pulled around like some sort of slave. Normally, she would have slapped him, or yelled at him, but she knew to be patient. Through the door in front of her was water.

Zuko pushed open the door and pulled Katara through. She stood there for a minute and gawked at the sight before her. The room was huge. At each corner stood a tall, golden pillar with the fire nation insignia painted on it. In the middle of the room was a very large concrete hole in the ground that was filled with, '_thank the gods!_' water. Along side the concrete pond were red and gold pillows that looked like they were made from satin, and a silver tray with glass bottles on them that Katara thought must have held the soap. Across the ceiling, in the same material as the pillows, were long pieces of cloth that draped from the East side of the room to the West. The last thing she noticed was the folded dress about halfway from the door to the pond, laying on a pillow on the floor.

"It's beautiful…" Katara said, referring to the room, as she took one dazed step towards the concrete pond and in front of Zuko. Unsure of her actions, Zuko grabbed the back of her arms and held her still.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Katara pulled her arm away. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm about to take a bath. You can leave now," she said with confidence. Zuko just stared at her.

"If you promise to leave, I'll promise to not attack you on your way out," Katara huffed. Her plan was to attack him and escape, but she really _was _filthy…and the way the steam rose off the water convinced her that it'd be okay to bathe first, and attack him on the way out.

Mulling over her compromise, Zuko reluctantly agreed. "Fine," he said as he released her arms and backed up to the door. As he put his hand on the handle he said "Just hurry up."

"I'll take as much time as I need, thank you," she replied.

"I'm coming back in fifteen minutes, whether you're done or not," he taunted as he opened the door and left the room.

Katara sighed in defeat. Just seeing the water in the pond was too good to be true. She was almost too afraid to bend it and break the illusion.

Carefully, she raised her arms, and the water rose with them.

She let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding and exclaimed, "Oh, thank the gods!"

Gently, as to not interrupt the whole pond, she continued through the basics of bending. After about a minute she stopped.

'_The water isn't getting any warmer…'_ She thought as she stared back at the door, making sure Zuko wasn't coming back before she started to strip her clothes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm coming back in fifteen minutes, whether you're done or not," Zuko said as he left the room, and the waterbender to her thoughts.

"Where do you think you're going?" the old ladies said together when he shut the door behind him.

"I did my job, she's bathing. There is no way she's getting out of there, the walls are steel, there are no windows, and this door," he pointed behind him, "is the only exit. If I stay here until she's done, that should qualify as me carrying out my fathers orders."

"No, no, Prince Zuko," one of the crones said with a smile.

"You're father said that you need to be _with_ the waterbender _while_ she's with water," said the other.

"Unfortunately, this doesn't count, so in you go," they finished as one opened the door behind him, and the other shoved him in.

The shove the old lady gave him was surprisingly strong and made him stumble into the room. Looking up, Zuko saw Katara…naked.

There was a very long pause as Katara just stood there staring at Zuko and vise versa.

Suddenly, realization dawned on Katara. _'Oh my goddess… I'm naked!'_

"Um…ah…" Zuko tried hard to remember words, but was interrupted by a load scream, and a waterfall of water crashing down on him. "Wha-! What the hell! It's not my fault!" he managed to spit out while gasping for air.

Whenever Zuko was at a loss for words, his emotions showed on his face. The deep blush and the gawking eyes made Katara realize that the move she had used on him required the use of her arms; completely exposing herself to him. Without another thought, she jumped into the concrete pond and pressed her naked body against the closest edge so that Zuko couldn't see her.

After being released, Zuko fell to the ground and gasped for air.

"What the hell are you doing back so soon! You said I had fifteen minutes!" Katara screamed at him.

"It's not my fault!! I was shoved back in here! I had _no_ intention of returning yet!" he argued.

"Right! Like I'd believe that you filthy firebender!" she countered.

"Oh, please! Don't flatter yourself! Like I'd want to come back just to see you naked! I've seen better bodies on a hog monkey!" Zuko spat without really thinking about what he was saying.

"You Son of a Bitch!" she hollered.

"Are you insulting my mother?!" Zuko questioned, his voice deadly.

"What if I am?!" Katara instigated.

"Then I'll kill you!"

"I'd like to see you try! We're in a room filled with water in the middle of the night!"

"I don't need the sun to defeat you! In fact, I could beat you with one hand tied behind my back!"

"Bring it on, Mama's boy!!" Katara half yelled and half laughed.

Zuko, fire in hands and ready to charge, found himself smirking at her laugh. "What's so funny?" he asked, suppressing the urge to laugh with her.

"Look at us," she said. "What have we gotten ourselves into?"

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked, slouching out of his fighting stance, but keeping the fire in his hands.

"Well, a month ago, I was just Katara: best friend of the Avatar and daughter of the chief of the Water Tribe. You were the banished Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, driven on capturing the Avatar. We were enemies. But now, here we are," she laughed, "in a bathing room about to have a half naked fight, and this is all because we're betrothed and getting _married_. Don't you find it even a little funny?" she finished with a smile.

Zuko couldn't help it as he let a little chuckle escape his lips. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

A long moment of silence filled the room.

"Zuko?" Katara asked, breaking said silence.

"Hmmm?" he said, trying to keep the weird feeling in his stomach from showing in his facial expression.

"Can you turn around so I can change?"

"Oh, sure," Zuko said as he turned around. Somehow, an unspoken trust between the two of them had formed, and he had no problem turning his back to her.

He listened as she slowly got out of the water and walked over to her clean clothes which were almost directly behind him. He could hear the water splash as she bended it off her naked body and into the pond.

Zuko shivered as he pictured the scene in his head.

'_Stop it,'_ he mentally scolded himself before he could think anymore perverted thoughts.

After a minute, Katara finished putting on the new dress. "All done," she said.

Zuko turned around to face her, but was shocked by the image in front of him. The dress was, of course, red and gold, and hung very low on her…chest. Zuko had to pry his eyes away before he got caught staring again. Other then her chest and the huge slit that ran from her upper thigh to the floor revealing the curve of her leg, the dress was fine.

"Can you stop staring please?!" Katara said turning around.

"What's it matter… I already saw you naked…" Zuko mumbled.

"What did you say?!?!!"

"Nothing! Let's go… You've got a big day ahead of you tomorrow."

"I do?"

"Yes…." He sighed as they walked off toward his room. On the way out, both the old ladies saw the way Zuko avoided looking at Katara and smiled as they walked off.

"I told you it'd work," one said.

"Oh fine, fine… At least I picked out a suitable dress. Prince Zuko seems to really like that one," the other winked.

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YAY IT'S DONE! Lol Next chapters gonna be cool to write (I hope/ think haha).

THANKS TO ALL MY REVIEWERS! I know some of you have asked me questions and I'm going to answer those questions REALLY soon! Promise! (I'm just REALLY short on time lately!) So! Review if you want to, don't if you don't – But know that if I stop getting reviews, I'll probably stop writing cause I'll feel like nobody likes my story anymore :( But I'll tell you a secret- _I almost never review, so I wont hold it against you if you don't_.

SEE YOU SOON! (okay.. not literally, but you know what I mean lol)


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